British Police Arrest At Least 3,395 People for ‘Offensive’ Online Comments in 2016

As the stabbings continue in London, now on a regular basis, police are on top on any comments that might show a hint of wrong think.

Meanwhile the true figure is likely to be significantly higher, as thirteen police forces refused to provide the requested information and two did not provide usable data.

Nine people a day are being arrested for posting allegedly offensive messages online as police step up their campaign to combat social media hate speech.

More than 3,300 people were detained and questioned last year over so-called trolling on social media and other online forums, a rise of nearly 50 per cent in two years, according to figures obtained by The Times.

About half of the investigations were dropped before prosecutions were brought, however, leading to criticism from civil liberties campaigners that the authorities are over-policing the internet and threatening free speech.